NEWS

PRESS RELEASE: "Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again."

ATHENS, GA. – UGA Theatre presents “Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again” by Alice Birch. Directed by Elise Robinson. Performances are October 9-13 at 8 p.m.. and October 13 and 14 at 2:30 p.m.. Tickets are $12 and $7 for UGA students. Tickets can be purchased online at ugatheatre.com/revolt, via phone at 706-542-4400, or in person at the Performing Arts Center or Tate Center box offices.

“Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again.” was commissioned in 2014 for the Royal Shakespeare Company’s summer season, taking its inspiration from American historian Laurel Ulrich’s quote, “well-behaved women seldom make history.” Alice Birch’s play went on to receive critical acclaim as a part of the RSC’s “Midsummer Mischief” season, featured alongside the work of other women playwrights. It is, as Slate reviewer Katy Waldman describes it, “a scalding cascade of interconnected vignettes exploring words and their limits” that challenges the deeply-rooted assumptions and attitudes about sex and gender in modern society.

Ph.D. candidate and director Elise Robinson was drawn to the play’s relevance to our tumultuous times. Amid innumerable public scandals that have seen the resignations of various public figures, celebrities, and CEOs, Alice Birch’s experimental piece comes at a unique time in UGA’s history as well. “On the 100th anniversary of women's admission to the university, we can look around to find inspirational women all over: in our classrooms, on our playing fields, and in our performance spaces,” said Robinson. “This play was written in 2014, but resonates with the #metoo and #timesup movements."

For undergraduate and “Revolt” dramaturg Lukas Woodyard, much of this play’s strength can be found in its experimental structure, which eschews traditional narrative in order to spotlight specific issues. “This play does not have a conventional plot, conventional scenes, or conventional characters. But it uses language itself to address the issues of facing women today while extending the conversation to include men and others who are stymied by patriarchal oppression, whether they realize it or not,” said Woodyard.

The emphasis on the power of language factored heavily into director Elise Robinson’s decisions to hold a special American Sign Language-interpreted performance during the run of the show.

“Making our show as accessible as possible to as many people as possible is very important to me,” said Robinson. The ASL-interpreted performance will be held on October 13 at 2:30 p.m. and will feature two separate interpreters to account for the fast-paced dialogue of the show.